Long haunted by cancer, Veronica Manzella now brims with a prognosis matching her upbeat outlook.

Recent successful surgery has put a positive turn in a saga rife with setbacks, including two bouts of breast cancer, plus the loss of her husband to pancreatic cancer.

“I will continue to pray that I won’t have to fight this battle again,” says the 49-year-old Normal mother of two. “But, rest assured, if it comes back for a third time, I will do whatever I can to fight it as aggressively as before.”

Despite a painful recovery, she overflows with gratitude — for continued public support, as well as the opportunity to reach out to others.

“I can’t begin to tell you the number of times I have talked to people over the last several months,” she says. “Within minutes of telling them my story, they tell me theirs. And a lot of times, it is worse than what I am going through.

“It really does put everything in perspective.”

Actually, it’s been her perspective — “believe in miracles” and “God, family, friends” — that for four years has attracted widespread public attention, since cancer first attacked her family.

A St. Louis native and running enthusiast, attorney Rich Manzella represented employees in labor cases. Veronica Manzella, a yoga and workout fanatic from Streator, worked in human resources at The Baby Fold, a Christian-based, not-for-profit child advocacy organization in Normal. Their children — Matthew, then 10, and Jennifer, 8 — enjoyed a full schedule of sports and other activities.

But pancreatic cancer seized Rich, the disease and chemotherapy dwindling his solid frame to a wispy shadow. Veronica assumed most parental duties while tending to her husband’s extensive medical care, but then she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Still, she soldiered on, taking radiation treatments during her lunch breaks as not to disrupt life further.

“You think life should stop and let you deal with this horrible situation, she says. “But it doesn’t. Life goes on.”

Meantime, the press grabbed onto the story, which spread over social media. Strangers flooded the family with goodwill and prayers; a benefit (to defray out-of-pocket medical costs) was swamped with supporters.

Rich survived longer than expected but died at age 45 in June 2011. A few days after burying her husband, Veronica underwent the last of 33 radiation treatments. The regimen worked: soon, she was found to be cancer-free.

Page 2 of 3 - But not for good. Three months ago, a routine check-up showed cancer had returned to the same spot. Moreover, doctors did not know if the disease had spread throughout her body. Though shocked, Veronica immediately went into her typical workmanlike mode: she scheduled medical appointments and surgery, then established her sister as guardian of the kids, if everything did not turn out all right — news she shared with the kids.

“They understood the risks and the game plan if I wasn’t here any longer,” she says. “Of course, I always put a positive spin on everything and said it was not very likely. But I wanted to be honest with them so they understood the full picture.”

In July, two days after her birthday, she underwent an eight-hour mastectomy in Peoria. Doctors got all of the cancer. Other testing delivered better news: the cancer had not spread.

“I thank God for answering our prayers,” Veronica says. “I certainly didn’t want to go through chemo, but I would have gone through that in a heartbeat to make sure I was OK for Matthew and Jennifer. However, I think it would have been so hard on them to watch me go through that, especially because they watched Rich go through it. “The first thing that Matthew said to me when he saw me after my surgery was that I didn’t look different. He was very relieved and happy.”

Lately, beyond pain and nausea, her biggest challenge has been bed rest at home, an uneasy task for a high-energy person.

“This journey has been a lesson in humility,” she says. “It is hard to rely on other people when I am so used to being the person who is juggling multiple priorities and zooming around trying to get everything done on a daily basis. I have had to take a step back and let friends and family help me.”

That includes running errands to the grocery store, taking kids to sports practices and buying school supplies. Meanwhile, just as in the first cancer go-around, well-wishers — some of them unknown — have been cheering her on through Facebook (she posts occasional updates at www.familybenefit.org).

Page 3 of 3 - “I can’t even begin to thank everyone who has helped out,” Veronica says. “Their help and generosity makes me want to be a better person.”

For now, mastectomy recovery could last another month. Then, surgery-related lymphedema (intense swelling) in her arms will require physical therapy In four months or so, a plastic surgeon will do additional corrective surgery.

Beyond that, Veronica has been too weak to talk extensively with doctors about her medical future.

“I am much more scared than I was before,” she says. “Having it come back a second time is a huge eye-opener.”

But that awakening does not make her flinch, but gird herself for battle — against any interloper that tries to come between a mother and her children.

“I am as determined as ever to fight whatever comes my way,” she says. “I will continue to pray that I won’t have to fight this battle again. But, rest assured, if it comes back for a third time, I will do whatever I can to fight it as aggressively as before. I WILL be here for Matthew and Jennifer.”